Xbox One Getting Free-To-Play Killer Instinct At Launch

One of the biggest surprises Microsoft had during its E3 2013 presentation was the fact Rare’s classic fighting game, Killer Instinct, was going to be resurrected and made available exclusively on the Xbox One. Many long-time fighting game fans have been waiting for Killer Instinct to make its triumphant return, but may want to tone down their excitement over the game once they learn Microsoft has decided to make it a free-to-play title.

When Killer Instinct launches, players will be able to download the game completely for free and will be given access to one character: Jago. If you want to play as any other character in the game’s roster, you’ll need to pay for them either individually or as part of a bundle. Developers were showing off Killer Instinct at E3, but didn’t disclose just how much each character or the complete bundle will cost, nor did they say how many characters would be available at launch.

I certainly was one of those gamers who was excited to hear of Killer Instinct’s return, but my excitement has dissipated a bit after learning it’ll be a free-to-play title. The only positive I can see in this is if Microsoft prices the unlocking of all of the game’s characters to equate to how much they’d charge if the game was released with a traditional price. Let’s just hope the price Microsoft sets isn’t anywhere above $15, or things could get really ugly.